Huia Regional Park

Growing up, I used to walk everywhere, to the zoo, shopping mall or to visit family. People in the town knew I was an explorer, so nobody called the police when they saw a 6 year old boy walking all over the place.
This didn’t really change as I grew older, and only really came to an end when I got my first car. Then it stopped, big time; causing the pounds to add to my already comfy midriff.
These days I don’t mind walking, but it is a mission if you live in a busy suburban area, so I’ve started to take scenic walks. The Huia Regional Park is a great place to go for a hike, and yes, this is a hike, not to be confused with a walk.
The golden oldies in my walking group quickly showed me the way, and I soon realized that I’ll have to get my fitness improved if I wanted to avoid being embarrassed by octagerians. The views are awesome, trees majestic and you get excited by even the littlest of things. Plus, the fresh air allows you to recharge and power up.

It’s a bit of a drive but Huia National Park is well worth it. Basically a series of bush walks from a carpark, there is also a few large spaces for just hanging out if you aren’t feeling energetic. This part of the Waitakere Regional Park is also home to parts of the Hillary Trail multi-​day bushwalk.
For me though the real beauty of this place is the flowing stream with its many swimming holes and small waterfalls. The fresh water is cold (ok frickin freezing — even on a summer’s day) but such a different swimming experience to anywhere else. The carpark is rudimentary (and can get pretty full), there’s a sprawling picnic area and you can even abseil here with the right permits (and skills!).
There’s a couple of campgrounds to choose from too if you want to make more than a day of it, but for a day trip it’s around a 40 minute drive from central Auckland. The kids absolutely love all the rock jumping and although I wouldn’t let my kids do it, there were several large groups of teenagers walking down the streambed rather than using the bush tracks. Fun but a bit scary!